


to die like romans

by sinequanon



Series: tiny bleach [4]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 13:25:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11945169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinequanon/pseuds/sinequanon
Summary: Though Ichigo and Karin would likely rather stab themselves than admit it, Yuzu knew that she and her siblings owed much to their Uncle Ryuuken.





	to die like romans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aHostileRainbow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aHostileRainbow/gifts).



> aHostileRainbow left me a comment on "hmo" asking me to expand on one of the scenarios that the hogyoku showed Ichigo, where Ichigo never meets Rukia and Aizen wins, but the Kurosaki siblings end up fighting him anyway.
> 
> This is what I wrote, and I'm still not entirely sure how it happened--this was not what I was planning on writing when I sat down. I might try to write something else with more action in the future, but I hope that this is good enough for now.
> 
> (I was also planning on posting the next fic in the other series, but I decided at the last minute to try and expand that story a bit, so you'll have to wait a little while longer. Sorry.)

Let’s do ’t after the high Roman fashion, And make death proud to take us. --William Shakespeare's _Antony and Cleopatra_

<> <> <> <>

Though Ichigo and Karin would likely rather stab themselves than admit it, Yuzu knew that she and her siblings owed much (however unwittingly) to their Uncle Ryuuken.

True, their uncle had been almost neglectfully distant with them since the deaths of their parents, but it was no different from the way he treated their cousin. He _had_ provided for them materially, if not emotionally, and had (in a way) prepared them for the war to come. Simply having a roof over their heads had been more than they had hoped for, considering their father's lack of family and their mother's estrangement from her own.

(Yuzu shuddered to think how much more stress her brother would have been under had he been forced to take care of both of them alone.)

And, of course, had they never stayed with their uncle and Uryuu, who knew if they would have learned about Shinigami and Quincy in time for them to make a difference.

It had been difficult at first, but for each whispered story from Uryuu to her brother, and every (gloriously) failed Quincy technique practiced out of Ryuuken’s sight, each of them released a bit of the burdens that tied them--for the Kurosakis, the death of their parents; for Uryuu, the murder of his grandfather--until things were mostly pleasant among them.

(It hadn't quite been enough for Uryuu to come with them when they ran, but every so often, they came across a Shinigami who would mention meeting a cape-wearing Quincy with a bad attitude and knew that their cousin was helping in his own way.)

Under Uryuu’s tutelage, it had become clear almost immediately that Ichigo and Karin were not meant to be Quincy, but Yuzu--

Well, one of Yuzu’s favorite activities had always been cooking with her mother. She had loved the measured, meticulous way they measured the ingredients, and they way those ingredients would combine to make something more; it was that same careful nature that made her an excellent Quincy.

Of course, as a Kurosaki, she was hardly a normal Quincy; the hollow currently sitting at their makeshift kitchen table was evidence enough of that.

(Their uncle would no doubt be surprised by the turn in his niece's abilities, but had he been kinder, or more patient, the three of them would have remained with the Ishidas, Urahara Kisuke would never have approached them, and none of the Kurosakis would have ever reached their full potential.)

Ichigo would have undoubtedly been pulled into the war anyway, and without his powers, he would have gotten himself killed. Karin would have followed after, and Yuzu would have been left alone. The youngest Kurosaki thanked fate (and Ryuuken) everyday for pushing them into Urahara-san’s arms and ultimately giving Yuzu the power to protect her siblings.

Yuzu heard the tread of Ichigo's footsteps at the end of the hallway--just heavy enough to tell her that it had been a tiring day--and started dishing up the food.

True to form, Ichigo drug himself into the room a moment later. He barely blinked at the the hollow in the room before he slumped down at the table and focused on his sister. “Where are you going to put this one, then?”

“Urahara-san has almost finished building the underground training area,” _as if they needed_ _any more “training” at this point_ , she thought as she placed dishes in front of both her brother and the hollow, “so we can keep him there for now.”

The bird-like hollow took a moment to stare at the bowl before him before devouring the entire thing in one gulp--including the bowl.

The siblings released twin sighs at the loss of yet another dish, but Yuzu could tell that her brother was pleased. Getting the hollows to eat her food was always the hardest part, but once they did there was no stopping the inevitable transformation.

The question now was what the Kurosakis’ newest visitor would become: dust or arrancar.

Personally, Yuzu hoped for the latter. True, it took time to train a new arrancar, but the size of their territory had almost doubled in the past few months, and they barely had enough fighters to protect everyone as it was. Yuzu's arrancar were unfailingly loyal to the Kurosakis, and had managed to get them out of more than one tight spot.

According to Urahara-san, it also drove Aizen absolutely crazy. Yuzu didn't like to wish ill of other people, but the former Shinigami captain _had_ started a war, and she was getting tired of seeing her big brother and sister come home hurt and exhausted, while she was unable to fight on the front lines.

(As if Ichigo didn't draw hollows to _him_ by the droves. Besides, it wasn't her fault that hollows found her so compelling; it was Urahara’s. And, of course, her cooking, but mostly Urahara. She didn't regret it for a moment.)

The kitchen was silent as they ate. Ichigo had instituted a “no ‘war talk’ at the table” rule a year ago, so dinner was a good time for both of them to gather their thoughts and simply enjoy each other's company. Only after they had cleaned up and stuck their visitor into the guest room for the evening did the two of them sit down to discuss the day's events.

“Kisuke thinks that Aizen will send a fracción soon; evidently, he thinks that your power won't work on them, or something. What do you think?”

Yuzu brow furrowed as she considered their options. Having the occasional hollow follow her home was no big deal, but being on the front lines could literally cause a mob (an errant Shinigami had almost gotten squashed the last time she'd been on the field), so they needed to be careful.

The youngest Kurosaki felt a very Urahara-like smile bloom on her face.

_Thank you, Uncle Ryuuken, for showing us the path._

“I think we should invite them for dinner, don't you?”

**Author's Note:**

> Most fics that have Yuzu getting involved with Shinigami tend to pair her with Unohana, which makes sense, but what if she paired up with Urahara instead? The Kurosaki siblings seem close enough to me for Yuzu to want to protect her siblings just as much as the other two. How this turned into "Yuzu Kurosaki: Hollow Whisperer", I don't know.
> 
> Also, I barely touched on it, but if Quincy can compress energy into weapons, I think between she and Urahara they could figure out how to weaponize a rice ball or a roll of sushi, right? But in a compassionate way, because it's Yuzu.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


End file.
